11/06/2025
Rounding out our performer highlights for the Kaizen Gala, we are featuring Van Paugam! is our resident DJ, a City Pop pioneer, and longtime supporter of the Japanese Arts Foundation.
Van is one of the earliest DJs outside of Japan to specialize in City Pop, the 70s-80s Japanese genre experiencing a global resurgence. Since 2016, he has been a catalyst for that revival, introducing audiences around the world to the nostalgia, aesthetics, and history behind the music. His mixes have captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands, giving listeners a sense of longing and connection to a world they may not have known, while treating Japanese culture with deep respect and care.
Van’s work embodies the spirit of Kaizen, gradually improving his craft while elevating Chicago’s City Pop and contemporary Japanese arts scene year after year. A student of Japanese language with an encyclopedic knowledge of late-20th-century Japanese music and culture, Van goes beyond simply “playing records.” His work weaves Japanese urban life, Western perspectives, and pop culture aesthetics into immersive experiences. He has activated historic and contemporary Japanese spaces in our city, from City Pop era throwbacks like Murasaki Sake Lounge to collaborations with beloved institutions like . He has also brought City Pop to cities globally like Paris and Berlin. He has performed for universities, listening lounges, matsuri, and even the Consul-General of Japan.
Van is not only a part of the JAF team, he is a friend of the foundation, and an unsung hero of City Pop’s resurgence. At the Kaizen Gala, guests will experience one of his signature vinyl sets: thoughtful, nostalgic, and designed to celebrate Japanese culture in innovative and meaningful ways.
Tickets available now! Link in bio
November 6, 2025
